Star Wars: The Ship That Built the Empire – The Imperial Star Destroyer Breakdown
One ship represents the strength and terror of the Empire. Often imitated, never duplicated, the one and only Imperial Star Destroyer.
The Imperial Star Destroyer forged an Empire. These vast wedges drove between the stars and brought a galaxy to heel. Bristling with turbolasers, and symbolic of the Emperor’s reach, an Imperial Star Destroyer brings the Empire wherever it goes.
The Imperial Star Destroyer is as heavy as it gets when it comes to capital ships. You could call it the workhorse of the Imperial Fleet, but it does so much more than work. It’s the backbone of the Navy, and a terror seen above the skies of worlds brought under Imperial Subjugation. And these wedge-shaped capital ships come suited to a variety of tasks throughout the Galaxy. But it all starts with the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer.
Star Destroyer Stats
The earliest designs were developed during the latter days of the Clone Wars. They were designed originally as a replacement for the Venator-class Jedi cruisers. After the Republic fell and became the Empire, its emperor Sheev Palpatine ordered that the great shipyards of the galaxy be turned to the task of producing the pride of the Imperial Navy: the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer. A new ship with a length of 1,600 meters.
It included a crew complement of over 37,000, and enough firepower to take on a small fleet all its own. That included 60 heavy turbolaser batteries, 60 ion cannons, 10 tractor beam projectors, six heavy turbolaser turrets, two quad heavy turbolasers, three triple medium turbolasers, and two medium turbolasers. Don’t forget the two dual heavy-ion cannon turrets.
Each of the Imperial I-class destroyers has a complement of seventy-two TIE starfighters. Plus eight Lambda-class shuttles, twenty AT-AT walkers, thirty AT-ST or AT-DP walkers, and fifteen Imperial Troop Transports.
The Star Destroyers Set Sail
These ships were veritable behemoths, and they quickly became a symbol of the new order of the galaxy. Initially, a Star Destroyer oversaw a single world beyond the Republic’s reach. They were vessels of subjugation and conquest. And for a time, these massive ships were seen as saviors. A Star Destroyer brought order to the chaos of the fringe territories and drove out the pirates and slavers from many worlds.
The Imperial II-Class
At the peak of the Empire’s power, some 25,000 Imperial Star Destroyers were in existence, many hailing from the manufacturing world of Kuat. But the Imperial I was only the forerunner. Before too long, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer made a name for itself.
The Imperial-II began development during 5 BBY, and it was intended to become a new Imperial Flagship. The first of these saw action during the battle above the planet Scarif, where the Death Star‘s battle plans were originally developed.
Throughout the Galactic Civil War, Imperial II’s rose to prominence and would be instrumental in the Emperor’s Contingency plan, which launched Operation Cinder. These are more heavily armored and outfitted with advanced communication tools, they continue to see use in the Imperial Remnants.
Either variant is powerful. Some starfighter pilots boast of taking them on singlehandedly, especially during X-Wing vs TIE Fighter conflicts
…but surely such tales are exaggerations at best.
